Method of making slider for interlocking fasteners



Aug. 28,1934. I

METHOD OF'MAKI NG SLIDER FOR INTERLOCKING FASTENERS Filed Feb. 19, 1950 Eugene M. Wuffierfard/ RNEY E. w. RUTHERFORD 6 INVENTOR Patented Aug. '1 934 METHOD OF MAKING SLIDER- FOR INTER- LOCKING FASTENERS Eugene W. Rutherford, New Haven, Conn., assignor to The Shoe Hardware Company, Waterbury, Conn., a. corporation of Connecticut Application February 19, 1930, Serial No. 429,470

6 Claims. (Cl. 113-116) This invention relates to the method of making a slider for interlocking fasteners, more particularly the method of making a one-piece slider from sheet material.

Sliders i'or interlocking fasteners have been made in various ways, such as by casting or machining one or more pieces ofmetal, and they have also been made from sheet metal, but as far as I am aware it has been necessary in most cases and particularly in the case of sliders made from sheet metal to utilize one or more rivets or other connections to give the desired strength and rigidity to the slider, such strength and rigidity being particularly necessary to prevent spreading or opening of the top and bottom of the slider in the strains incident to use.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of making a strong, light, rigid, compact, cheap and rivetless slider from sheet material.

Other objects will appear from the detailed description and claims.

Without intention to limit the invention otherwise than as required by the prior art, the same consists in forming a blank from sheet material comprising the top and bottom of the slider with an integral connection between the two, bending over the blank to bring the top and bottom into parallel relation, medially forcing in a portion of the material connecting the top and bottom to form, a hollow sheet metal neck rigidly connecting the top andbottom and dividing the interior oi. the slider into converging channels, and attaching a bail holder to the slider body. The invention also comprises the article formed by the Process.

For a detailed disclosure of the nature and objects of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing, in which latter:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of ,a blank at an initial stage 01' the process.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blank in a succeeding step;

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively side and end views of the blank at the next stage of manufacture;

Fig. 5 is a side view otthe blank at a still later stage;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the blank upon completion of the bending operation;

Fig. 7 is a central longitudinal section through Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a partially completed blank for a bail holder.

Fig. 9 is a side view 01' the completed bail holder. Fig. 10 is a top plan view or the slider body and bail holder in assembled relation, the bail being omitted.

Fig. 11 is a top plan view of a slightly modified form of slider body;

Fig. 12 is a perspective of a modified form of 6 bail holder for use with the slider body shown in Fig. 11;-

Fig. 13 is a perspective of a bail; and

Fig. 14 is a perspective of a complete slider of the form shown in Fig. 11.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown in Fig. 1 a blank 1 which may be died out in the form shown from sheet material. It is to be noted that the sheet material used is plain and of uniform thickness throughout, that is, without projections or reinforcements of any sort.

.The blank, as shown in Fig. 1, is formed of two complementary portions 2, designed to form the top and bottom of the complete slider, these por-' tions being connected at their adjacent ends by a web 3 of the material, which web is provided with the lateral extensions or ears 4 extending between the portions 2. It is to be noted that the top and bottom portions 2 of the blank taper in a uniform curve at their sides, as shown at 5. The blank is then operated upon to form the side flanges 6 on the portions 2, and one of the portions 2 which is to form the top of the completed slider is provided with the opening 7, one end wall of the opening being inclined as shown 55 at 8 to form in effect a semi-dovetail recess, this recess being utilized at a later stage in the pro.- cess for securing a bail holder to the slider. The blank may then be bent over to about the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and the web 3 conn'ecting the portions 2 is medially forced in by an appropriate tool to form a substantially wedge shape recess was shown in Fig. 4. In the next step, the portions 2 are further bent toward each other to the position shown in Fig. 5, and after ,this they are bent in a final step into parallel relation, as shown in Figs. Sand 7. While it is preferred to bring the blank of Fig. 1 into the finished shape shown in Figs. 6 and 7 by aseries of operations, as this avoids undue strain and heat treatment of the metal, it is obvious that the shaping may be accomplished in a single or any other desired number of operations, and

the wedge shaped recess 3a may likewise be .formed by any desired'number of operations and either simultaneously with or separately from the bending of the top and bottom portions 2. It will be seen thatin the completed form shown Figs. 6 and 7, the top and bottom portions 2 o the slider body are rigidly united by the V-shaped,

neck 31) enclosing within it the wedge shape recess 30, and the ears or extensions 4 form continuations of the wall 3b of the neck. The neck 3b also divides the interior space between the top and bottom into converging channels through which the complementary slider elements may be guided into interlocking relation, and the curved flanges 6 at the outer edge of the top and bottom coact with the neck 31) in thus guiding and retaining the complementary slider elements.

In Fig. 8 there is shown a. partially completed blank for a bail 'holder for the slider body. This blank 19 is formed in approximately U-shape, as shown, and provided along the outer edges of its side walls with the upturned flanges 20. On the inner side of the side walls are disposed opposed semi-dovetail projections 23, and the end wall of the blank is formed with cutaway por-- tions 21 leaving between them the medially disposed lug 22. The blank may be formed from sheet metal in a single operation or it may first be died out flat and the flanges 20 then turned up. In the next step, the blank is folded over along the longitudinal axis running centrally through the lug 22 in such manner as to bring its two side strip portions in superposition with their flanges 20 projecting outwardly, as shown in Fig. 9. This folding step brings the two semidovetail projections 23 into superposition, and the end wall of the U-shape blank is folded over upon itself to form the superposed complementary extensions or projections 24 integrally united attheir outer ends, while the two recesses 21 and the folded over lug 22 form a recess 25 in the rear walls of the superposed extensions 24. The locking projections 23 are then disposed in" the opening '7 of the slider body with the extension 24 disposed in the wedge shape opening 3a., and the ears or extensions 4 of the slider body are then bent over above the lug 22 and into the recess 25 at the rear of the extensions 24 of the bail holder to produce the assembly shown in Fig. 10. The bail for the slider may be similar to the one shown in Fig. 13 but with an opening in the rear wall of the opening 38 to flt over the body 19 of the bail holder below the flanges 20. The bail may be either slid over the flanges 20 before the bail holder is attached to the slider body, or instead the bail may be provided with straight ears at its rear end and these ears bent over the flanges 20 after the bail holder has been secured to the slider.

In Fig. 11 there is shown a slightly modified slider 26 which is formed from the same shape blank as the previously described embodiment, but in the modification the bail holder and the manner of securing it to the slider body are somewhat different. The top of the slider body is provided with a transversely extending opening 2'1 and the side wall cuts by which this opening is formed are extended beyond the ends of the opening as shown at 28 to provide ears 29 at each side of the opening, and these ears are then bent outwardly so as to slightly lengthen the opening 27. The ball holder in this modification is shown in Fig. 12 and is preferably made from a single strip 30 of sheet metal which is cut away at one end as shown at 32 to form the dovetail projection 31. At the other end the strip is reduced in size as shown at 33 by cutting away its sides to thereby formshoulders 34, and at the end it is split or cut as shown at 35. The ends of the strip are then bent up at right angles to form a short extension at the end having the dovetail projection 31 and a longer extension at the other end. The bail holder is then applied to the slider body by inserting the dovetail projection 31 in the opening 27 and the projection 33 in the wedge shape opening 3a. Upon forcing the bail holder downwardly, the shoulders 32 engage the ears 29 and force them down into the plane of the slider top to thereby lock the dovetail projection 31 in the recess 2'7. The ears or extensions 4 are then bent over the projection 33 and the split end of the projection 33 is spread to lock it beneath the ears 4. Previous to inserting the bail holder in the slider, the opening 38 of the bail 36 is passed over the holder so that the completed article appears as shown in Fig. 14. The bail is curved as shown in Fig. 13 and provided with the ridges 3'7 or other roughening to enable it to be readily gripped by the fingers of the user. As before stated, the bail when used with the bail holder shown in Fig. 9, is provided with an opening extending rearwardly from the opening 38 in order to permit the bail to pass over the body 19 of the bail holder and around the flanges 20.

According to the practice of my invention the method of making sliders for interlocking fasteners is one which'requires a minimum amount of material which involves a minimum number of operations in making a slider having only the essential features necessary thereto, and which results in a slider of low cost, strong construction, great, durability, etc.

It will be seen that by my invention a slider has been provided which is light: requires a minimum amount of parts, material-and operations in its manufacture, is cheap, rigid and easy to operate. As previously pointed out, there is a strain imposed upon sliders for interlocking fasteners tending to spread the top and bottom of the slider, and to offset this, it has been customary to either make the slider body from a heavy piece of metal by machining or to make it in several machined parts or from sheet material and to then reinforce the slider with rivets or other fasteners, the rivet for preventing spreading usually being applied at a point corresponding to the apex of the V-shape neck 3b. By my invention, however, the struck in metal constituting the neck 3b is formed integrally at all points with the top and bottom of the slider and by its shape the neck 31) strongly braces the top and bottom of the slider against spreading or other distortion. At the same time this great strength is obtained by the use of a minimum quantity of material, and the recess 3a is used to anchor the bail holder in position. The neck 3b also divides the interior of the slider into two converging channels which guide the cooperating fastener elements into interlocking relation, and the flanges 6 assist in this guiding oi the elements and prevent their escape at the sides of the slider. It 133 will be noted that the flanges 6 curve continuously from the enlarged rear of the slider to the narrower forward end at which the interlocked elements emerge, and this continuous curve, with the absence of any sharp change in the direction imparted to the elements, assists in causing a very easy movement of the-slider on the elements. It will also be seen that in either of the forms of slider body or ball holder, but a single'piece of 145 sheet metal is required, and in the assembled slider there are just three parts, namely the slider body, the bail holder and the bail, all formed from sheet metal, the parts being assembled without the aid of any independent fastening devices and I exact number or sequence of operations described,

and I therefore do not wish to be limited otherwise than as is required by the prior art.

claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: v

1. The method of forming sliders for-multiple interlocking fasteners which comprises, forming a blank from sheet stock including complementary tapered portions united at the middle .of their wider ends by a web, doubling over said portions into opposed spaced relation, and medially forcing said web inwardly between said portions to form a hollow sheet metal neck rigid! ly connecting them.

2. The method of forming sliders for multiple -interlocking fasteners which comprises, forming a sheet metal blank of uniform thickness, said blank including complementary tapered portions united at the middle of their wider ends by a web, flanging the side edges of said portions, doubling over said portions with their flanges in opposed spaced relation, and medially forcing said web inwardly between said portions to form a substantially V-shaped neck connecting them.

3. The method of forming sliders for multiple interlocking fasteners which comprises, forming a sheet metal blank of uniform thickness, said blank including complementary tapered portions united at the middle of their wider ends, doubling over said tapered portions into substantially U-shape, the arms of the U forming the top and bottom of the slider, and medially forcing in the rear wall of the U to form a V- 'neck of metal rigidly connecting said top and bottom.

U to form a hollow sheet metal neck connecting the top and bottom. Having thus described my invention, what I 4. The method of forming sliders for multiple interlocking fasteners which comprises, formcomplementary tapered portions united at the middle of their wider ends by a web, said web having lateral extensions between and spaced from said tapered portions, fianging the side edges of said portions, doubling over said portions with the flanges in opposed spaced relation to form the top and bottom of the slider, medially forcing said web inwardly between the top and bottom to form a hollow neck of metal rigidly connecting the top and bottom, and interlocking a bail holder with said web extensions.

6. The method of forming sliders for multiple interlocking fasteners which comprises, forming a sheet metal blank, said blank including complementary tapered portions united at the middle of their wider ends by a web, said web having lateral extensions between and spaced from said tapered portions, flanging the side edges of said portions and forming a locking recess in one portion, doubling over said portions to form the top and bottom of the slider with their flanges in opposed spaced relation, simultaneousholder.

EUGENE W. RUTHERFORD. 

